Left-Wing Lawmaker’s Latest Target: National Anthem

Lee Seok-gi is surrounded by reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 7.

The politician everyone loves to hate was back in the headlines on Monday, this time for expressing his dislike of the national anthem.

Lee Seok-gi, a member of an allegedly pro-North faction of the left-wing United Progressive Party, met with local reporters over the weekend and suggested scrapping the national anthem, ‘Aeguka,’ in favor of a Korean folk song well known in both North and South Korea, ‘Arirang’.

“’Aeguka’ was forced on us by the administration of (military) President Chun Doo-hwan,” Mr. Lee reportedly said.

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“I think a song like ‘Arirang,’ which more or less reflects the sadness and history of the Korean people, could be more or less called the national anthem,” he said.

The remarks were apparently made off-the-record, but were reported anyway with predictable alarm by Korea’s main conservative media. Politicians lined up to distance themselves from Mr. Lee—some calling him an “anarchist”– including the main left-of-center Democratic United Party.

On its official Twitter account, the UPP said Mr. Lee’s comments “have nothing to do with the official stance of the UPP.”

Aeguka became South Korea’s national anthem in 1948 when the Republic of Korea, or South Korea, was established. For some left-wingers it remains associated with the years of repression under military leadership.

The comments from Mr. Lee are latest public relations disaster for the UPP, which is trying to oust him from the party following a vote rigging scandal prior to the April 11 parliamentary elections. The scandal focused attention on some of the extreme left-wing views of the party’s members, including the largest faction headed by Mr. Lee.

In trying to repair the damage to its image, the UPP agreed to allow the singing of Aeguka at party events, dropping its previous opposition to the anthem.

Local media speculated that Mr. Lee was trying to deflect attention from an investigation into a consulting firm he operates and ultimately trigger a deeper crisis or even break-up of the party that he can benefit from.

In the meantime, stand by for more headlines from the seemingly ever-present Lee Seok-gi.